What’s Bubbly’ing Away at Cava DO?

What’s Cava exactly? Well, it’s Spain’s very own, globally famous, sparkling wine that sells (2022) approximately 250 million bottles a year with the UK importing around 17 million of them!  Made in very much the same way as that of Champagne, Cava production method is called mètode tradicional with the three main grapes used being Macabeu, Parellada and Xarel·lo. Cava will be either white or rosé.

“To be called Cava, the wine must come from the Cava Denominación de Origen (DO) area and must be carbonated with a secondary fermentation in the bottle, among other appellation rules.” source masterclass.com

What does Cava taste like? The best way to know is to put some to the test and for this we were kindly sent a couple of bottles to share with our readers the aroma and flavour experience on offer.

We should keep in mind (as with most sparkling wines) that the style you are likely to experience will be down to the sugar levels so from less sugar to the most you will have: Brut Nature / Extra Brut / Brut / Extra Seco / Seco / Semi Seco / Dulce

Also, you can check for quality levels of Cava and this is aimed at the ageing of the label so 9 months / 15 months / 30 months = Cava / Reserva Cava / Gran Reserva Cava

Cava DO Gran Reserva Vintage Labels 2017

Rovellats Original Vintage 2017 Brut Nature Gran Reserva – Tasting notes: “Golden fruits, green fruit skin, grass, hay, white floral on the nose. Crisp and fresh with a touch of silky, oily texture. Dry style, though a touch of sweetness from green fruits. Delicate style. Saline close. Not overly lengthy in flavours.”

Codorniu Vintage 2017 Blanc de Noirs ARS Collecta Gran Reserva – Tasting notes: “Freshness and clean style, higher levels of acidity. Pink grapefruits, citrus, saline, green fruit skin nose. Crisp yet silky texture. White fruits, lemon, grapefruit, gooseberry, soft toasty expression with dried cranberries / saline.”

What’s planned for Cava DO in 2023 and beyond? Javier Pagés leads the Regulatory Council of the CAVA Protected Designation of Origin since 2018. He talks to Glass of Bubbly about where CAVA is today and future plans: